In Search of the Sea
by Hirotani
Summary: All great journeys have a beginning, a time when the hero hears the call to do something greater. This is the beginning of a hobbit’s adventure to see the sea. Featuring Isengar Took and the Old Took.


Title: In Search of the Sea  
  
Author: Hirotani  
  
Summary: All great journeys have a beginning, a time when the hero hears the call to do something greater. This is the beginning of a hobbit's adventure to see the sea. Featuring Isengar Took and the Old Took.  
  
Rated: PG  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, places, names, etc. belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.  
  
Feedback: Feedback is appreciated. Constructive criticism is needed.  
  
"Tell me about Gandalf, Father," the young hobbit lad inquired gently, standing sleepy-eyed in the doorway of the Old Took's library, one small hand clutching a patchwork quilt that dragged on the floor behind him.  
  
Gerontius Took, better known as the Old Took, looked up from the letter he was reading and smiled. "Well of course, Isengar," he said, setting the letter aside and beckoning for his youngest to join him. "Come sit on my lap and I'll tell you about the fireworks the old rascal of a wizard used to throw at my Midsummer's Eve parties."  
  
The young hobbit, by the name of Isengar Took, tried to climb into Gerontius' lap, but failed miserably. His chubby face scrunched up in concentration as his arms refused to hold his weight long enough. The Old Took chuckled and picked up his youngest son, placing the boy in his lap to allow him to snuggle close. He began rocking, the wooden joints of the chair creaking in time to the tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hall.  
  
"Comfy?"  
  
"Mhm," was the muffled reply, Isengar's face against the tickling, fine wool of Gerontius' coat.  
  
"Well now, Gandalf was a right queer fellow, but very friendly, especially to the Tooks. The first time he came 'round, he scared the young'ns with his pointy hat and bushy eyebrows, as bushy as a fox's tail and then some more. They hadn't seen one of the Big Folk before."  
  
"He gave you these buttons, didn't he, Father?" Isengar piped up, stroking the pair of diamond studs on the Old Took's jacket.  
  
"Why yes, indeed, he did," Gerontius mused, a small bout of amused laughter at this; "Very thoughtful of the wizard, too -- no losing these buttons! They won't come undone unless you order them to."  
  
"Father, do all wizards have pointy hats and bushy eyebrows and make fireworks and give hobbits buttons?"  
  
The Old Took paused for a moment, and the creaking stopped before starting up again. "Maybe yes, and maybe no; I don't know for sure. Gandalf's been the only wizard ever to visit the Shire, and I've been blessed with such a dear friend. A hobbit can't answer all of these questions that you've got; but, perhaps, someday, m'boy, you'll go on an adventure and find out for yourself."  
  
Innocent eyes, the eyes of a child, widened as his young mind imagined all sorts of fantasies and adventures, from talking with Elves to slaying dragons. "You think I can go on an adventure someday, Father? I want to see wizards, and Elves, and, oh! the Sea! I want to sail like the Elves do, Father, beyond the distant horizon, and discover new lands! Just like Hildifons."  
  
"Yes, just like your brother," the Old Took said sadly, recollecting the day years ago when Hildifons had left home in search of adventure.  
  
Twenty-some years had passed since that childhood conversation, Isengar was now in his tweens, but, unlike the other hobbits of his age, Isengar did not pilfer crops from farmers, nor did he play pranks on his sisters. He was decidedly different from all the other hobbits, preferring to spend his time indoors, in the great library room of the Great Smials. Often he would ask the questions which no hobbit could answer. Ever he searched the library - one of the most extensive libraries in the Shire - for a book on what lay beyond the borders of the Shire, or a map that did not just end where the Shire did.  
  
The Old Took could see that Isengar was turning out different, that some old Fallohide blood thirsted for adventure, to see the wide world. He mournfully remembered Hildifons, his son that had left on a journey but had not returned. Yet he could not deny Isengar adventure, and wisely kept silent about his misgivings, knowing the time would soon come when adventure would call and finally sweep his youngest away upon its winds.  
  
"Father," Isengar announced one evening after supper, just as many of the family members had finished up and were chasing down their meal with ale. His voice was quiet, barely carrying over the laughter around them.  
  
Lately, he had begun to spend more and more time in the quiet sanctuary of the library. At times he would slip out of bed to walk at night, in hopes of seeing Elves. His sleep was disturbed and restless with images of a vast beach sparkling with white sand while clear water lapped its shores, haunting his steps. As the sun set, the beach would turn aflame in a brilliant light, each jewel receiving the sun's rays and giving them back again in so many hues of red, yellow, and orange it bewildered the eye. Then when the sun bid her last farewell and the stars blossomed in the dark sky, the shallow waters shone a pale, fiery blue.  
  
Even in the day these images did not go away, but waited at the edge of his mind, coming back threefold when night came on. The taste for adventure grew as he continued his fruitless search in the library, among the dusty motes, until he could stand it no longer.  
  
"I will be leaving tomorrow," Isengar stated with finality, determination in his soft-spoken voice. "I've already gotten everything arranged."  
  
Something in Isengar's eyes said that his will was set, and that no force in Middle-earth could stop the young Took from his adventure. Distress at the possibilities of losing his youngest child fought with yearning to make Isengar happy, and the thought of refusing Isengar came briefly to his mind before he chased it off. Isengar was miserable here, longing for something that even the Shire could not give. Gerontius heaved a sigh and reached across the table to give his son an encouraging pat.  
  
"I understand, Isengar. Go find your adventure."  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
The Lord of the Rings, Appendix C, "Took of Great Smials": Isengar, 1262- 1360, said to have 'gone to sea' in his youth and Hildifons, 1244, 'went off on a journey and never returned.'  
  
The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party": "...there was still something not entirely hobbitlike about them, and once in a while members of the Took- clan would go and have adventures."  
  
Warm thanks to Sentomegami for beta-reading. Any remaining mistakes are of my own doing. 


End file.
